Maitland Mustangs let a golden chance to seal a finals berth slip on Saturday night, going down to fellow top six contender Penrith Panthers 93-77 at Maitland Federation Centre.
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A scratchy start saw the Mustangs trail by just three points at half-time, but the Panthers blew out the game in a 31-20 third quarter that sealed victory for the visitors.
Last weekend’s 88-81 victory at Hills moved the Mustangs to fifth on the Waratah Basketball League ladder and had results gone their way this round they could have been three wins clear of seventh.
Instead, the 16-point loss means their finals participation is once again up in the air.
Mustangs coach Larry Davidson said that the loss was especially disappointing given what had been at stake, and that he could see even in the warm-up that Penrith had come ready to play.
“We were just unable to contain their penetration into the key and it kept going all night, which was disappointing to say the least,” he said.
“They needed to win, and it showed, and we need to show the same desire that other sides have from the start rather than halfway into the game.”
Davidson described his side’s mood after the game as sombre, and said that the Mustangs’ senior players had spoken to the group about the poor performance.
With a bye next weekend Davidson will have a fortnight to prepare the side for a crucial trip to face Central Coast, where a loss could see the Mustangs slip outside of the six.
“The bye is a two-fold thing – we need to get back out there straight away and try and move on from the loss but it does come at a good time for us to get a few players back to full fitness,” he said.
A positive note for the Mustangs was the return of Goran Veg from gall bladder surgery, with Veg finishing with ten points and eight rebounds from just under 32 minutes of game time.
Davidson said that Veg would continue to find match fitness in the next two weeks.
Earlier in the evening the Mustangs women had four players score double figures against the Panthers, but it wasn’t enough to prevent an 88-60 defeat.
Following two weekends off, the Mustangs women finish their season at home to Hills Hornets on August 16.